Memoria de mis putas tristes
(Libby/OverDrive eAudiobook)

/*Starred Review*/ The Colombian master storyteller's latest novel is grounded in the steamy atmosphere and gamey politics of his native country; at the same time, in the universality of its theme, it transcends the peculiar traits of his bougainvillea-filled homeland. Composed with the metaphorical lyricism of a parable but without that narrative form's usual moralizing intent, Garcia Marquez's novel briefly but piquantly captures a single year toward the end of a long string of years in the life of a nonagenarian who, ironically, given the length of his tenure on the planet, proves himself still capable of undergoing a significant life alteration. The unnamed protagonist, an unmarried man, is a columnist for the local newspaper, but until this point in time, he has never written anything of lasting value. This memoir, this recollection of the past year, is to be his literary legacy. "The year I turned ninety, I wanted to give myself the gift of a night of wild love with an adolescent virgin," he boldly--and, perhaps, in a delusion of potency--declares. It is soon revealed--sadly--that he has never loved, that his sexual gratification has always been bought and paid for. What his brazen plan to celebrate this milestone birthday comes to entail is a confrontation with a heretofore unrealized aspect of his "inner self"--namely, that sex without love is an empty house in which to dwell. Garcia Marquez's beautiful, poignant story both avoids sentimentality and escapes salaciousness. ((Reviewed August 2005)) Copyright 2005 Booklist Reviews.

The 1982 Nobel Prize winner's first novel in ten years begins in classic García Márquez style: "The year I turned ninety, I wanted to give myself the gift of a night of wild love with an adolescent virgin." Thus begin the memoirs of a nonagenarian journalist who has frequented brothels regularly throughout his life yet never married. This latest (and unconsummated) affair begins a lengthy involvement during which he realizes he's finally found true love. The novelette, set in the 1950s in a Colombian coastal town, is both a paean to old age and a confirmation of the redemptive power of love: "the invincible power that has moved the world is unrequited, not happy, love." García Márquez connects to his earlier works with amorous epistles, prostitution as metaphor, the theme of regenerative love, and the first-person narrative. One also detects a situational resemblance to Yasunari Kawabata's House of the Sleeping Beauties . With its singular purpose and absence of magic realism, the low-key style of Memories is a far cry from the sweeping mythic world of Macondo. García Márquez, in his late seventies and suffering from lymph cancer, has appropriately paired a fictional memoir to join the first volume of his true memoirs published in 2003 (Living To Tell the Tale ). An excellent translation as always from Grossman; highly recommended. [See Prepub Alert, LJ 6/1/05.]--Lawrence Olszewski, OCLC Lib., Dublin, OH

After ten years of waiting, finally another fabulous tale from Garcia Marquez. For a 90-year-old bachelor, purchasing the services of a virgin for a night of passion turns out to be a transformative experience. With a 250,000-copy first printing. Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.

In Marquez's novel, on his 19th birthday, a single man living alone in a decrepit mansion decides he wants to fornicate with a young girl. He solicits the help of the madam of the city's best brothel, who procures for him the perfect subject, a 14-year-old who works in a factory stitching buttons. However instead of having sex with her, the narrator simply watches her sleep—and continues to do so. This action, oft-repeated, unlocks new feelings for the narrator who discovers "the improbable pleasure of contemplating the body of a sleeping woman without the urgencies of desire or the obstacles of modesty." Rivera's voice is thick and smoky and he performs the book as if he were whispering to an intimate. And Rivera captures the narrator's humor, his coyness, and his playfulness, while also proving himself exceptional at creating voices, from the madam to the drunken denizens on the street. A Vintage paperback. (Oct.)

García Márquez's slim, reflective contribution to the romance of the brothel, his first book-length fiction in a decade, is narrated by perhaps the greatest connoisseur ever of girls for hire. After a lifetime spent in the arms of prostitutes (514 when he loses count at age 50), the unnamed journalist protagonist decides that his gift to himself on his 90th birthday will be a night with an adolescent virgin. But age, followed by the unexpected blossoming of love, disrupts his plans, and he finds himself wooing the allotted 14-year-old in silence for a year, sitting beside her as she sleeps and contemplating a life idly spent. Flashes of García Márquez's brilliant imagery--the sleeping girl is "drenched in phosphorescent perspiration"--illuminate the novella, and there are striking insights into the euphoria that is the flip side of the fear of death. The narrator's wit and charm, however, are not enough to counterbalance the monotony of his aimlessness. Though enough grace notes are struck to produce echoes of eloquence, this flatness keeps the memories as melancholy as the women themselves. 250,000 first printing. (Nov. 1)